From The Past
by truemizzie
Summary: Magic doesn't know sentiment, Harry. It simply knows spells and books. It is not a human thing, nor should it be treated as such. It is simply a tool that some have learned to use in their life, for both good and bad. Marauders time travel forward.
1. From The Past

The four "Marauders" sat on the floor between their beds. Their names were known to most as James, Peter, Remus and Sirius, but to each other they were none other than Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.

"How do you even know that it works?" Peter asked excitedly, looking at the book Sirius was holding up.

"It has to…I mean, just look how much these people have predicted that has come true! They couldn't have just guessed at it!" Sirius replied, the same happy tone in his voice.

"It's called Divination," Remus said to the group of boys over a separate book, his voice filled with annoyance.

"No, Moony, I believe that would be known as _crap_," James said back to Remus, who rolled his eyes and went back to his book.

"I say we try it out!" James continued. "We can learn who our kids are, what our jobs are, what we'll look like-"

"Whether a certain Lily Evans has married us?" Sirius interrupted, making James blush furiously.

"Shut up…I just think we should try it!"

"James, you should know better. It would be stupid to see your future before it happens - it's like reading a book when you already know the ending!"

"Oh, and that would be awful!" Peter said sarcastically. Remus stuck his tongue out, and returned to his book. After a moment, however, he set his book down.

"Look, tonight's the full moon, you know we can't do this now!"

"Who said you had to come?" James said to him. Peter laughed a bit, as if he was trying to sound cool by agreeing with James, and Remus rolled his eyes. He shoved his book under his bed.

"Fine. I'm in."

"I knew you'd come to sooner or later!" James smiled. He grabbed the book from Sirius.

"Okay, it says here that we just turn the dial of the compass to the number of years we want to go forward. Alright…everybody put it on."

The four boys stuck their heads inside the chain of a golden compass. Remus looked at James seriously.

"You know, if it's the full moon over there and I transform when we get there, I'm not going to apologize."

"Yeah, whatever Moony…"

Then James began to turn the dial…

"Hermione, could you please stop fidgeting! It's starting to get really annoying!" Ron yelled at a pacing Hermione.

"I don't know if I can, Ron," she replied, finally sitting down on a large couch next to Ron. They were in a lounge area of Sirius' old home. "I mean, with Harry coming in such a short amount of time…we haven't seen him all summer!"

"Hermione, Harry doesn't come until TOMORROW! His birthday isn't even until midnight!"

"Yes, maybe, but it's still good to plan ahead…how do you think he's handling…well, you know."

Ron shrugged. Harry hadn't been to Bill and Fleur's wedding due to a sudden attachment Petunia Dursley had had to him. They had only corresponded through letters. He inched closer to Hermione, and took her hand.

"Hermione…" he said slowly, "What do you suppose he'll think about us?"

Hermione gave a small smile. "I'm pretty sure he always knew it would happen…sooner or later. I'm sure he'll be perfectly alright with it." Ron nodded, smiling to himself, then turned his head towards Hermione. He was about to say something when-

BAM!

Hermione gasped and stood up immediately. Four boys had just fallen to the ground in front of them. After the initial shock had worn off, a voice was heard:

"Padfoot, if you EVER get an idea like this again, I SWEAR on my antlers that you won't ever even LIVE to regret it!"

"Prongs, I doubt that even HE won't be this stupid again. I knew that this wouldn't work, anyway!"

"Yeah, then why did you feel so keen to come along with us, Moony! You could've just stayed with your books."

"Oh, be quiet Padfoot!"

"Um…excuse me?" Ron was standing over the pile of boys. "Who the bloody heck are you?"

One by one the boys looked up at the red head, confusion written all over their faces. Hermione stared at them for a moment, then walked over to a picture near the couch she and Ron had been sitting on.

"Ron, I think we have a problem here…"

"What's that Hermione?" He asked her, but she didn't reply. Instead, she took the picture over to the four boys. The motion filled picture was of the Marauders while they were in Hogwarts. She looked at it, then to the boys, and repeated this a few times. Then she took the picture over to Ron and had him look it over.

"Hermione…this isn't right…"

"We have to take them to Professor Lupin."

"Excuse me?" a boy with extremely untidy hair asked them. This boy had hazel eyes, and a huge resemblance to Harry Potter. "Where on Earth are we?"

Hermione looked down at the boy, trying to contain her tears. She crouched down to his level. Behind him, she could see a pair of eyes that she knew very well, and trusted just as much.

"Remus…Remus Lupin? Right?" she asked the boy.

"Yes," he answered, baffled that this new girl should know his name. "Yes I am."

"Where are you from?"

Lupin hung his head for a moment, then lifted it and answered. "We're from Hogwarts…we're all in our seventh year. May I ask where we are?"

"You're in Number twelve Grimmuald Place…" Hermione counted in her head for a moment, while Sirius proclaimed that it was his own home. "Something like twenty five years from where you started. How did you get here?"

"We had a compass!" Peter Pettigrew finally spoke, after being silent for such a long time. "A time travel compass! Hey…where is that now?"

Hermione stared at the boy for a minute, trying to remind herself that he was still good at this point. "Don't you have it?" she finally asked.

"Hey, Wormtail's right! It's gone! The dumb thing's gone!" Sirius shouted.

Hermione's reasoning told herself that she had to take the boys to Professor Lupin. But how would he react? He had been having many nightmares about them lately, everybody knew, so she didn't want to hurt him more.

"I'm going to need all of you to wait here…I'm just going to get a book. Ron…make sure they don't leave…and don't tell them anything…important."

She walked quickly out of the room towards the House's giant library, to look up anything about traveling compasses.

Back in the lounging room, Ron was trying to answer all of the questions that the four…"arrivals…" had for him.

"Who are you?"

"Um…my name is Ron."

"Are we supposed to know you?"

"Um…I'm not quite sure…"

"Oh, bullocks to this! I'm going to go see how this place has changed since I was last here!" Sirius proclaimed, and ran out of the room before Ron could catch him.

He continued running through the halls until he heard voices coming from a nearby room. The living room! He thought to himself, recognizing the hallway that he was in.

"Honey, I'm home!" he yelled while flinging himself into view.

Within the room, Remus Lupin, Tonks, the Weasley's and Mad Eye Moody had been talking to each other around a large table. Lupin, who had been standing, was instantly affected. He dropped his Butterbeer glass and flung his hand over his face while crouching down onto the ground. The rest of the group simply stared at Sirius, horrified. Tonks went over to Lupin.

"It's not real…" he chanted. "It's all in your mind…" Tonks kept looking back at a now extremely confused Sirius, to prove it to herself that it was true.

"Moony, is that you?" Sirius said, and leaned against both sides of the doorway.

"You're not real!" Lupin stood up, pushing Tonks away very unkindly and began running towards the doorway Sirius was leaning against. He thought that he could simply pass through the illusion, but he could not. After many tries, he sunk down to the ground, and was caught by Arthur Weasley.

"It's not real…" Lupin continued to chant, until Arthur finally spoke to him.

"Remus…I think that it is."

Tonks recovered from Lupin's push and went over to him. She grabbed his hand as four other boys came into view. The older Lupin looked up at his four old friends, and at a very nervous Ron Weasley. Suddenly, Hermione ran into the picture, a thick book in her hands.

"Ron! I told you to not let them leave the lounge!" she yelled at him, causing the two children to begin fighting.

The old Lupin stood up with the help of his girlfriend, and they hushed immediately. He stared at his old friend, Sirius Black, and reached out to touch his chest.

His hand fell over the boy's heart, and Lupin could feel it beating through his fingers.

"Nymphadora…is this real?"

"Yes, Remus," she answered, and Lupin fell into tears. He pulled Sirius, who was already slightly taller than, towards him and wrapped his arms around his neck. Sirius stood completely still, completely confused at what was happening. Finally, Lupin pulled away, still holding onto the young man's arm.

"And the other three?"

"They're here too."

The second boy Lupin went to was James. James smiled at him jokingly, and spoke.

"What's up? Never seen your past before?"

Lupin stared at him for a moment. Little did the boy know that in this world, he wasn't alive. He embraced James, to the boy' surprise, with a very tight squeeze. As he pulled away he saw a face that he knew almost too well, but had forgotten for many years. He walked over to this face.

"How young and carefree I used to look…" he said out loud, yet almost to himself. "I fear that you are unhappy with the way my own appearance turned out." Lupin reached for and held the boy's left arm, right below the shoulder, where they both knew a werewolf bite resided. They simply looked at each other for a moment, knowingly, then they shook hands. Suddenly, Lupin noticed that his old face was extremely pale.

"Are you feeling quite well?" he asked himself.

"Yes…last night was our moon in my time…" the boy answered, lying. James almost said something, but closed his mouth. The full moon was on a different day in this time, so they both thought their old one would not affect Moony's "furry little problem." Or, they hoped it wouldn't.

"Remus, why couldn't you still look like that," Tonks said to him brightly, trying to change everyone's mood a little. Lupin smiled and looked at his younger self.

"I suppose you've just figured out a relationship you will have when you are older," his younger self looked at Tonks, confused, and nodded, embarrased.

Finally, Lupin saw the fourth young boy. Peter Pettigrew. He swallowed the little saliva that resided in his dry mouth and pushed himself towards the traitor. He shook his hand, reminded himself all the while that Peter was still a decent boy. A boy, but never a man. He would never earn that title.

He stepped away from his old friends, and spoke to them.

"Excuse me for my reaction to you. Youth is such a beautiful thing…and yours frightened me at first," Sirius looked at him oddly. He was much more than just scared. "Now, I ask you to go with these two children," he said to them, pointing out Ron and Hermione. "Hermione, don't tell them anything of high importance…however, feel free to tell James of his son's coming. He'll be finding out soon anyway."

Hermione nodded and showed the boys back to the lounge. Remus looked towards the group.


	2. A Strange Transformation

"I'm assuming that you all know what you can and cannot tell them, correct?" Lupin said to the remaining group. His eyes fell to his shoes, and rested there. The rest of the group was also silent, until a certain Fred Weasley stood up.

"Why not? I mean, they deserve to know!" He said, and George joined him.

"Yeah, besides…what harm would it do? Wouldn't that fix everything…they could be the best thing that's ever happened to the Order!"

Molly, their mother, hushed them immediately after seeing Lupin's reaction to their words. He was utterly surprised, and nearly angry.

"It wouldn't work," he said to the room. "They're not supposed to be here…"

"Why not?" it was Ginny who stood up to say this. "Maybe they are, and our world is the one that got it wrong! Why can't they be here?"

"It's simply impossible…"

Fred and George joined the conversation again. "It's obviously not impossible if they were able to get here!" Fred yelled at him.

"You should let them change everything! It would work-"

"No, it wouldn't!" Lupin yelled. His outburst frightened the children into silence. "They're not supposed to be here. If they were, don't you think that I would remember all of this?"

He was right. This was the first time they had come to the future, as Lupin didn't remember the first time it had happened. Everyone became quiet. Lupin spoke, apologetically.

"We have to send them back…"

_"Stop!"_ Mad-Eye Moody had joined the conversation finally. "If they're here for the first time, doesn't that mean something wrong has happened in the past?"

Lupin stared at him. "Well, yes…"

"Then we can't send them back! It could have terrible consequences, and mess up all of our lives!"

"Yeah, but then wouldn't we know about it now? If something was wrong, things would change!" Fred reminded the group.

"In that case, something is very wrong here," Moody told them. "Remus, we have to keep them here for a while…we can ask them about everything."

"I suppose you are right…but it's true. Wouldn't we know if something was wrong in the past?"

"It can't be that important if we haven't heard about it yet," Moody ended the conversation.

Back in the lounge, Hermione and Ron were trying to figure out a suitable way to tell James about Harry, without telling him that he was dead. The two groups of teenagers simply stared at each other for a while, until Hermione finally spoke.

"James, I think there's something you need to know…"

"I would agree," James replied. He hadn't taken quite a liking to this Hermione girl, and decided that he wouldn't.

"Look…you have a son in this future…"

"I sort of figured that out."

"His name is Harry…"

"Ouch…"

"And…well…"

"Why on Earth would I call my kid Harry…?"

"He's sort of…"

"Probably tortured in school, the poor boy…"

"Coming here tomorrow," Hermione finally finished her sentence. James looked at her with annoyance.

"Okay…so I get to meet my kid…what's the big deal? It's not like he's never seen me before!"

"Yes, but…seeing you might be a bit hard on him…seeing all of you might be a bit hard on him…"

"Why?" Sirius joined the conversation.

"You…um…"

"Oh, just tell us!" Peter yelled at her.

"You work a lot!" Ron saved Hermione.

"Yeah, a lot," Hermione added, squeezing Ron's hand tightly, to thank him. "So…he doesn't see you guys a lot…plus he's away at Hogwarts for most of his years…"

"Well, I guess he'll just have to be surprised at how handsome his father turned out."

Sirius snorted, and James elbowed him hard. "Hey, so when do we get to meet ourselves?" Hermione stared at him.

"Well…you don't."

"Why not?"

"We don't want you to disturb…well…your older selves. They're working…_a lot._"

"But Moony gets to see his older self!" James yelled at her. This started Hermione into dozens of excuses, and a fairly large fight between the two. Suddenly, Sirius noticed something.

"Hey…Moony…are you alright?"

Everybody's eyes turned to the young Remus Lupin. He had suddenly grabbed at his stomach and started breathing extremely heavily.

"Lupin?" Ron said to him, and suddenly the boy yelled out in pain.

"We _have_ to take him to Professor Lupin!" Hermione told Ron. Sirius and Ron tried lifting him, but he wouldn't budge. Hermione ran out of the room towards the living room, James and Peter following her.

"So, how are we going to ask them-" Lupin was interrupted by Hermione running in front of him.

"Professor Lupin, something is _very_ wrong with you!"

He stared at Hermione. She was being serious, he could tell. She led him back to the lounge, only to find the young Remus Lupin in a crawling position on the ground. The older Lupin ran over to him quickly, as James yelled out.

"He lied…tonight was supposed to be the full moon…in our world!"

"Did you take your potion tonight?" Lupin asked his younger self. The boy looked up at him, a pained look in his now yellow eyes.

"What…potion…" he panted, and yelled out in pain again. Others were now crowding into the room.

"It hasn't been invented yet…" he chanted to himself. He, of course, had none after Snape had…done what he did…so he had nothing to give to himself.

"Everybody, get out! And close the door!" he yelled to the group. Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs began to transform.

"No! You have to leave also!" Lupin yelled at them. They morphed back into their regular forms.

"But, it's never been like this before…he needs our help!" Sirius complained to him.

"You're right, it hasn't ever been like this before…you have to leave now!"

"But…what the hell is wrong with him?" James yelled out.

"I…I don't know…" at this point, the young Lupin was nearly in werewolf form, and he was still yelling in pain and fear.

"GET OUT!"

The others did as they were told, but many watched through a small peek hole in the door. They watched as the young Lupin transformed into a vicious werewolf, and began to tear up the entire lounge room. Lupin was able to run outside of the room, and close the door before the beast could escape.

"Everybody, go to bed…" he told them, in a voice that could barely be heard under the howling of the monster. "I'll stay."

"We'll stay with you," Sirius told him, all of the Marauders stepping forward.

"No, you won't."

"We have every right to! He would want us to!" James whined.

"No, he wouldn't! I don't want you to, and what I want is exactly the same as what he wants, I can assure you!" Lupin yelled at them. They glared at him, and began to leave.

"Where are we supposed to sleep?" Peter asked angrily, turning back around. Molly spoke.

"Come now, dears, I'll get you set up…" she pushed them, and everybody else along as Lupin stayed with himself.

At first, the only things he could hear were things banging against the wall, and he could feel the ground shaking. Then, suddenly, he felt his skin changing as he heard whining from inside of the room. He looked down at his arm.

Scars were already starting to form.


	3. Consequences

From The Past, Chapter Three.

Remus Lupin sat on the ground, leaning against the wall. His arm was tingling as the new scars formed on it. He did not complain. Finally, though, he felt the tingling sensations stop. He looked out the nearest window - the Sun had not yet come out. His younger self must have fallen asleep. He clung to the wall to pick himself up and moved towards the door. He opened it and walked inside.

Inside the room he saw himself, curled up on the floor. There were cuts and scratches all over his body. They were in the same places as the scars that had formed on his own body. He looked around the room. It was destroyed entirely. The walls were ripped up, and pieces of glass from the antiques that had been inside the room were laying all over the floor. He closed his eyes and though very hard about what had just happened.

"Why can't I remember this…" he whispered to himself. He looked back at his wolf form. Finally, he could see the Sun rising through a small window in the room, and his younger self began to transform back into a young man. He stood up and walked over to what had been the couch. A woolen blanket that once sat there was mysteriously intact. He picked it up and saw what had been laying under it. The picture of the Marauders, which had once sat completely intact on the coffee table, was destroyed. The photo was ripped in half, and was graying into a dark black color. Lupin set it back down and took the blanket over to himself.

He wrapped up the young man and picked him up, taking him to his own bedroom and laying him down on the bed. He looked at his young self for a few moments, and then stood up to leave the room. A mirror was hanging next to the doorway, and in it he saw a scar running down his left eye to his cheek. He looked back at his younger self, to check for a cut, which he saw, but also noticed something else happening to himself. Remus Lupin was turning back into a werewolf. Lupin ran over to him, to prevent him from getting up, but he didn't. He didn't even turn fully into a werewolf. He stopped halfway through a transformation…his skin was nearly entirely grey, and his half open eyes were turning a bright yellow color. His transformation stopped there, leaving him what looked like half a werewolf.

Lupin frowned, and began walking out the door again. He saw his younger self's reflection in the mirror as he left, and took the mirror down. He placed it on the wall outside of the room, closed the door, and walked down the stairs towards the kitchen.

"Good morning, Remus!" Molly was awake and had somehow sneaked down the stairs before him to begin making breakfast. He looked up at her, surprised at her animation, and she gasped. "My goodness, what happened to your face, dear? Here, let me look at it," she began walking towards him, but he held his hands out to stop her.

"You won't be able to get rid of it, Molly."

"Oh, stop that…I can get rid of anything!"

"I'm afraid that's not true. Now, Molly, could you please get me some warm water in a bowl of some sort…He hurt himself quite a bit last night," Molly looked at Lupin's solemn face, and suddenly understood. She took a bowl out of the cupboard and filled it as Lupin had asked. She handed it to him with a small cloth.

"Maybe you can get rid of some if you start soon. How is He, Remus?" Lupin took the bowl and frowned at her.

"He is not well. Molly, please don't let the others go in to see him. Something very odd has happened to him, I'm afraid."

"Alright, I'll try to stop them. Remus…how do you feel?"

"I'm fine Molly," Lupin said as he began walking back up the stairs.

Finally, he got into his bedroom. His pace slowed dramatically as he walked over to his bed, where the young Remus Lupin was sleeping. He took the cloth out of the water and began running it over his younger self's wounds. After a couple of minutes he could hear the others waking up and going downstairs to eat breakfast. They were a loud bunch, just as he had remembered them to be. About an hour later, he could already feel some of the scars on his own body disappearing, though the marks from them remained on his younger self's body. It was then that Remus Lupin woke up. As his eyes opened, the elder Lupin moved into a different angle so that the boy could not see him. But at the first moan, Lupin decided that it would be stupid to simply stay quiet.

"You had a rough time last night," he said to himself calmly. "Didn't you?"

"Yeah…" his younger self answered. "Madame- wait, who are- oh…right. I had almost forgotten."

His younger self tried to sit up, but finally saw that he couldn't. So, he lay on the bed, and continued speaking softly. "Last night…you asked something about a potion. What were you talking about?"

"I'm surprised you remember that," Lupin answered, still fixing the boy's wounds in shadows. "After you graduate, a potion is going to be invented to help you with your transformations. You'll still transform, naturally, but you'll be somewhat human."

"How did they come up with that?" The younger Lupin asked him.

"It was a mistake, actually. A man tried to murder a werewolf with Wolfsbane, but mixed the ingredients wrong. Instead of killing the wolf, it became human enough that it could steal the mistaken recipe for the potion."

"It's very helpful, " he added softly.

"Oh. Do you have any?"

Lupin shook his head. "Not any more, I'm afraid."

"Why not?"

"It was lost…it's a long story."

Lupin continued washing the boy's wounds. Every once in a while his skin would bubble up with his odd transformation, and the young Lupin would twitch slightly. Finally, the boy spoke.

"I feel funny…" he said softly. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid so…" Lupin answered him, and moved into the light. The boy gasped at the scars on his face.

"Did…did I do that to you?"

"In a way…but not the way you think you did. You hurt yourself, and the scars remain on me and you. I fear that it means you will have them forever. That's not what you are feeling though. You said that last night was the full moon in your time, correct?"

"Yes…I had no idea that I would still transform…"

"Don't worry about it. I have a feeling that, because of your traveling through time, that your body is somewhat…confused."

"What do you mean?"

"I think that you will transform both on your full moon and on ours…and between them."

"What are you talking about?"

Remus Lupin stood up and walked towards a set of drawers. He opened the top one and pulled out a small mirror. Very slowly and carefully, he handed it to his younger self.

"Oh my…" his younger self chanted. Tears began to form in his eyes. "If I would have known that this would happen…"

"I'm going to try and find things to help you. Besides, it can't last very long. You'll be home soon, I'm sure."

"How do you know?"

Lupin stood at the door, opening it slightly. He answered.

"It hasn't happened to me yet."

As he was shutting the door, he heard his younger self speak to him.

"Please…don't let them see me. Don't let them in."

'Don't worry, I won't…' Lupin thought to himself, and walked down the stairs for breakfast.


	4. What Can You Say?

From The Past, Chapter 4.

Rev: You're right, it is hard writing with the time difference!

On with the show…

Remus Lupin walked into the kitchen to find an entire party of friends. Everyone who had been in the house the day before was sitting in the kitchen, eating Molly's delicious meal. Everybody watched him as he came in, and Tonks took his hand softly.

"Oh, Remus, you're back down. Breakfast?" Molly asked him, as happy as she was earlier.

"Please," he answered quite simply. He sat down slowly, then noticed that the entire room was staring at him.

"Sir," Sirius Black was the first to speak. "When can we go see him?"

Lupin stayed very quiet long enough for Molly to set down his food. "I'm afraid that you can't. He's not ready for any visitors yet."

"Yeah, whatever. That's just what Madame Pomfrey always tells us. When can we talk to him," James rolled his eyes.

"I'll only repeat what I just said - you can't go see him."

"But, we always do after transformations! You of all people should know about that!" Peter squeaked annoyingly.

"Look, you may not go see him until he is ready, do you understand? Please make no attempt to do so. He is not well."

"What do you mean he's not well!" Sirius yelled, surprisingly loudly. "Gosh, we try to be polite and all, but you're making it really, really difficult. Mad-Eye was the one to reply.

"Hey, if Lupin says he's not well, he's not well. I suggest that you boys go somewhere else. Hermione, Ron, keep them out of trouble."

Ron and Hermione nodded at Mad-Eye and walked out the room. The Marauders reluctantly followed, each of them with crossed arms. Ginny also followed, not wanting to be left behind. Before she walked out the doorway, she asked her mother,

"Mum, when will Harry be here?" Molly checked her watch.

"He should be leaving just now, dear."

"That means he'll probably take about two hours Ginny, knowing the way he flies around," Arthur said to her. Ginny nodded and ran out of the room after the others. The adults, including Fred and George, who would never leave during talks that the adults would have, all took a seat at the table around Lupin.

"How is he, Remus?" Tonks finally asked, still holding his hand. Everybody else leaned in very slightly to listen.

"There is something wrong with his body. Last night, while he was scratching himself, I was receiving scars wherever his wounds are," Lupin touched his face where one of the scars was. Tonks frowned as he continued. "Then, this morning, after he had gone back into human form, he started turning back again," the room gasped. "Not fully back into a werewolf…just partly there. His bones are re-arranging themselves, but aren't moving directly into place. They seem to be going back and forth, making his skin bubble."

He stopped for a moment. Mad-Eye Moody spoke.

"Why?"

"I think…I think that his body doesn't know whether it should be a werewolf or a human. Last night was not the full moon in our time, but it was in his. He'll probably transform on our full moon also. Now that he's here, his body doesn't know exactly when the moon is. So, it stays in a sort of limbo period, not human, but not beast either."

"That's why he doesn't want visitors," Fred and George whispered simultaneously. Fred spoke next. "But wait, if he's going to transform on our full moon…who will help him?"

"What do you mean. I will, of course," Lupin answered. George and Fred exchanged a look of understanding, and George spoke.

"How can you without the potion, Professor Lupin?" Remus suddenly understood. He could not take care of his younger self in wolf form while he himself was in wolf form.

"We'll think about that later," he said softly. "Besides, we have a few days to think about it."

The full moon was only 3 days away.

"What if…" Arthur Weasley began. "What if the boys-"

"Arthur, you know they couldn't handle two werewolves. Not even in animal form. Besides…I have a feeling that both of us will be rather…difficult on the next full moon." Tonks then lifted up her head to him.

"I could transform too, though! I can turn myself into an- an elephant or something! I can't be that hard!" Lupin laughed for the first time in the past day.

"Nymphadora, you're a delight, you know that!" She smiled as well. "Still, as enjoyable as that sounds, I couldn't endanger you like that. Haven't any of you seen the lounge?"

Nobody replied. Lupin's face became more serious.

"Well, come on then…I'll show you."

The group walked out of the kitchen and down the halls into the lounge. Many of them gasped, but most of them simply gaped at the sight.

"As you can see, I can't allow any of you in here while two werewolves are."

There was extreme silence at this comment, until that silence was broken by Hermione's voice.

"You're not allowed in there! Are you deaf! Get- oh my goodness!"

Lupin's hand carried up to his forehead and stayed there for a moment. "Please, excuse me," he asked the group as he left the lounge. He walked up the stairs and to his own room where his younger self sleeping. Hermione, Ron and Ginny were standing by the open doorway frowning.

"We tried to keep them in the parlor," Ginny told Lupin, who nodded. He walked into the room to see three of the Marauders standing over a lump of bed sheets, staring down at their friend. The young Remus Lupin was sound asleep, and had no idea of what was going on around him. The elder Lupin walked towards the group.

"Now do you see why you couldn't come in?" he said to the boys.

"He- he knows that we don't care. W-we understand his problem…" Sirius tried to speak.

"Why couldn't he trust us…he knows that we're his friends," James continued, sounding hurt.

"He's embarrassed…I never liked being seen like that."

"What does this have to do with you?" Peter said angrily. Sirius nudged him hard in the arm.

"It has everything to do with him."

"No it doesn't," Peter replied. "Not anymore- he's old now! He's-"

"Peter, shut up," James whispered, still looking at his friend, but falling softly to sit on the ground next to the bed. "Sir…he's still…human, right?"

"His mind is," Lupin said to the boys, sitting on the floor next to James. He put a hand on his friends shoulders, making him twitch a little.

"Can we- can we stay with him?" Sirius finally asked.

"I don't know if that's a very good idea. He asked me to not let you in."

"Please let us," James whispered to Lupin. After a moment, Lupin nodded. I'll get some food for when he wakes up again. I have a feeling that he will be a bit hungry."

The boys smiled at Lupin as he left the room, and Sirius sat down in the spot Lupin had just left. Peter remained standing, until he got lazy and decided to move the sit on the foot of the bed. After a few moments, they heard Hermione, Ron and Ginny walk down the stairs after Lupin.

"I don't really get it…why is he like this," Peter finally said.

"He never said," James replied.

"Well, what are we going to do when he wakes up?" Peter asked. "We don't really even know what's wrong with him."

"Well, first we'll have to see what happens when he wakes up, won't we," James replied. Suddenly, Sirius noticed something.

"Hey, guys, what's wrong with his skin? It's bubbling…"

"That can't be good…" James answered.

"You're right, it's not."

The boys shot around to see Remus Lupin walking in with a tray of soft foods and water. He set it down on his drawer set.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Peter asked.

"He's transforming…" Lupin replied. The boys began to move away. "Don't worry, he's not fully transforming, just part way. See, he's changing back."

The younger Lupin was moaning softly in his sleep, and looked as if he was just on the brink of waking up.

"Does it hurt him?" Sirius asked. Lupin stayed silent for a few moments.

"Yes," he answered as he left the room again. The boys looked at each other and moved close to the bed again. James reached out slowly, to the surprise of the other boys. His index finger was moving towards a bubble on his arm. As soon as it hit the bubble, Remus Lupin yelped and woke up, a cold sweat starting to form on his forehead. The other boys leaned in. Finally, Lupin's pain stopped and he opened his eyes to see his friends beside him.

"I knew you'd get in," he said, like always, but without his usual smile. The boys were surprised by this, and remained silent.

"Is this what you wanted to see?" he asked with a silent passion in his voice. He was still lying entirely still. "Is this what you hoped the-the freak wou- would look like?"

"Moony- what?" James started.

"That's right…I'm Moony. That's all I am- I, I'm Moony…" his fists clenched and he stopped speaking suddenly. "Oh, god, I'm so sorry…I shouldn't have…shouldn't have said anything. I'm so sorry…"

"Don't apologize, Remus," Sirius said to him. "We're the ones who are sorry." Peter opened his mouth slightly, as if he was going to say something, but it closed. He looked surprised at himself, but nobody seemed to notice him at all.

"No, I'm sorry. I wish you didn't have to see me like this."

"We don't care," James told him. "We really don't."

"We do, however, have a delicious breakfast ready for you!" Sirius tried his best to sound as bright as he could. He picked up the breakfast tray and set it slowly onto Lupin's lap. Lupin began to try and sit himself up, but he couldn't. He tried again, and raised himself a little bit, but fell back down almost instantly, spilling a bit of the water. He frowned.

"Don't worry, I've got it," James told his as he moved the tray to the floor. Sirius and James helped Remus sit up, which was a difficult task due to his strange bone structure.

"Thank you…" he began, but stopped when James rolled his eyes as he put the tray back onto his lap. Remus lifted his hand slowly and picked up the fork that was sitting on the tray. He grasped it and lifted it up, then dropped it. His hand moved to his forehead, which he felt in a way very reminiscent of how the older Lupin did. "Sorry…my head hurts a little bit."

"It's alright. We're just glad that you're still you," Sirius said to him. Remus took the fork again and began to eat. The other boys watched him carefully, making sure nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the older Lupin came in.

"James, you might want to come down. Harry's here."


	5. Misconceptions

From the Past, Chapter 5.

James looked quickly up at Remus Lupin with a somewhat surprised face. Remus Lupin simply stared back questioningly.

"You mean…my kid? He's here already?" James asked him.

"Yes."

James continued to look at Lupin for a moment, then at the younger Remus Lupin.

"You should go," the young Lupin said to him. "You should all go and see. Besides, I'm feeling quite tired."

"Are you sure you don't want any of us to stay here with you?" Sirius asked. The young Lupin shook his head.

"I'm fine," he answered. "Go on."

The group looked at each other, and stood up one by one. Sirius took the plate of food and set it on the cabinet. As they left through the doorway, the elder Lupin went back to his younger form to rest him back into a sleeping position. Soon after, he followed the other boys and walked down the stairs beside them.

"Does he…does he know we're here?" James asked Lupin, who nodded.

"He's just been told, in fact. Now, I must ask all of you to save any questions you may have for me, as I do not want you finding out anything about your futures. You will learn that in time."

"So…we can't ask him about who we are, or what we're doing now?" Sirius asked quickly.

"I'm afraid not."

"But…Remus gets to know about who he is!" Peter complained.

"That is simply by chance. It is also by chance that you all ended up in Grimmuald Place."

"Speaking of that," Sirius began. "Why is it that you live here and I don't? It is my family's house after all!"

"That is a story that I will leave to you to figure out…it's quite interesting, and it should happen to you on its own."

Sirius didn't look happy about this answer, but continued walking down the stairs anyway. Finally, they got to a doorway that led into the kitchen.

"Now, remember what I've told you," Lupin said to the boys.

"Now, remember what I've told you," Mad-Eye Moody echoed to Harry inside the kitchen. Harry had grown over the short summer, and looked more like his father than ever before. He looked much older than when he had left Hogwarts, due to the drama that had taken place the year before, though. He seemed older too. Depressed, angry, yet understanding of the world around him. Harry looked up instantly as the door to the kitchen opened, revealing men that he had only known for a short period of time, yet had made a huge difference in his fate.

James was the first to really notice Harry, yet Harry somehow noticed Sirius before him.

"Oh my gosh, James…he looks exactly like you," Sirius whispered to his friend, who walked straight up to Harry.

"So," he began. "You're my kid?"

Harry nodded. He took a very long look at his father. What people had always said to him was true - they were nearly identical. That was the only real thing he noticed. For some reason, seeing his father didn't really have the effect he thought it would have. He walked over to Sirius next.

"He really does look like you, James…" Sirius proclaimed again, an awestruck look on his face. Peter then walked closer to Harry. Harry looked at the boy, who seemed years younger than the other two. He tried to not look at this boy, and moved back towards his father.

"How old are you?" he asked simply. James looked at Harry with a mildly surprised face.

"I'm seventeen…half way through my seventh year at Hogwarts. Why, can't you tell?" James smiled at his…could you call it a joke? Harry didn't smile. After a moment, Harry walked away from his father towards Lupin.

"Professor Lupin? Where are Hermione and Ron?" he asked, to the surprise of everyone in the room.

"Harry…wouldn't you like to speak with James?" Lupin asked him back.

"I need to talk to Ron and Hermione…besides," Harry added, with a glance to Moody, "It's not like I've never seen him before."

The three time travelers were somewhat shocked at his statement, but before Lupin could answer Harry, they left, James looking rather angry.

"Harry-?" Lupin began, but Harry interrupted.

"Where are they, Professor Lupin?" Remus sighed.

"In the house library, Harry," he answered, frowning. Harry quickly left the room to look for his friends. The scene now shifts to the Marauders, back inside the sleeping Lupin's room.

"I can't believe that - how could I raise my child to be so rude!" James was saying to the other boys.

"Well, he learned from the best," Peter tried to joke, but when nobody found this funny, stopped laughing. There was a moment of silence.

"James…" Sirius began, but stopped before actually saying anything. James looked at him seriously.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Never mind."

"No, Sirius, tell me," Sirius tilted his head downward.

"Have you ever thought that maybe…" Sirius began.

"Maybe what?" James was beginning to get angry.

"Well, that maybe…you didn't?"

"Didn't what?"

"Raise him."

All of the boys fell silent, and the silence was broken by a noise coming from Remus through his sleep. It was like a low howl, and made the boys jump slightly.

"Sirius, don't be stupid," Peter said to him.

"Well…I mean…did you see that guy's reaction when he saw us? It was as if…he hadn't in a long time. You don't just start crying when you see somebody you know, unless they've been gone for a long time," Sirius tried to explain.

"Look, stop being an idiot. He told us why he got so scared…" James began. "Just shut it, Sirius," he finished, and looked away. The boys then got up and left the room, and decided to go to the kitchen.

"Oh, Harry! It's so good to see you!" Hermione ran to Harry when she saw him come into the library. She began to reach towards him, as if to hug him as she often did when they saw each other after a long summer, but he didn't invite this moment of affection. Ron stood up and also went over to Harry. Ginny was still sitting at a table in the small library, watching the trio meet each other again.

"Harry…how've you been?" Ron asked him quietly, not knowing entirely what to say to this seemingly new Harry.

"I'm fine…" Harry told them, simply. He then noticed something. Ron had taken Hermione's hand in his own. Harry smiled.

"Oh…god…Harry, there's something we need to tell you-" Hermione tried to explain, but Harry broke in.

"It's about time, you know that?" the trio smiled at each other, and they all walked towards the table. They sat down, Harry opposite Ginny.

"Hey, Ginny…" he said to her, and she smiled slightly. Harry looked at Hermione. "So, have you found anything?"

"What do you mean, Harry?" Hermione asked him.

"On the Horcruxes."

"Oh, yes, of course. Ron and I have been studying them all summer," Hermione told him.

"Good," Harry said. "So, what did you get?" Hermione seemed baffled that this would be the first thing Harry asked her, but began telling him.

"Well, we think that there might be one from Ravenclaw near London-"

"Have you seen your dad yet, Harry?"

It was Ginny that interrupted Hermione.

"Yeah, I have," Harry answered her. He had a slightly annoyed tone. "Continue, please Hermione. Where in London-"

"And what did you two do?" Ginny continued.

"We said hello. Now, keep going Hermione, please-"

"Just hello?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, JUST hello, Ginny," Harry replied. He motioned for Hermione to continue, but Ron broke in.

"You mean, you haven't talked to him yet?"

"That's right…now-"

"Why not? Aren't you happy to see him, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, seeing my dead father as a teenager is extremely exciting!" Harry yelled at the group. He quickly hung his head. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have yelled at you guys," he said to them apologetically.

"Harry, you should talk to him - it's important. Everyone should know there father-" Hermione tried to reason with him.

"No…it's not important," the room gasped. "Right now the most important thing to do is find the Horcruxes, don't you understand, Hermione?" she nodded, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Harry - what if they send him back before you really get to see him?"

"Where in London do you think the Horcrux is, Hermione?" Hermione frowned, and explained the placement of the Horcrux through her tears. Harry listened, a harsh expression on his face. Ron held her hand as he and Ginny listened carefully.

Back in Lupin's room, the young werewolf had woken up. He was feeling hungry. Slowly, the half-human Lupin pulled himself up and walked towards the cabinet where his food was lying. Suddenly, a mirror sitting in an open drawer caught his attention. It made the light from the setting sun reflect into his eyes. He reached down and turned the mirror over, making something else catch his attention. A folder.

He slowly picked up the folder, and opened it on his lap. There were dozens of newspaper clippings from the Daily Prophet inside of it, the top one from about 3 and a half years before the current date. He slowly arranged them into a chronological order, then read each one to himself. The first one had this headline:

"James and Lily Potter Murdered By Dark Lord - Harry Potter Survives."

It was followed by many other headlines, each talking about the same topic, but focusing on Harry Potter. The next set read:

"Peter Pettigrew and Large Group of Muggles Murdered."

The next read:

"Sirius Black Sent To Azkaban For The Murders of Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, Lily Potter and Others."

Years seemed to pass on the dates of the articles, until the final two.

"Sirius Black Escapes Azkaban, Attacks Hogwarts."

"Sirius Black, Mass Murderer, Lost."

There were no more articles after this. When he heard footsteps, Lupin quickly threw all of the papers back into the folder and hid them in the drawer where he had found them, placing the mirror on top just as he had found it. He reached out for his breakfast as the door opened, revealing the other Marauders.

"Oh, Lupin!" Sirius yelled to him, carrying a new plate of food. "Don't eat that, we've got something even better for you!"

Lupin ate the meal that Sirius gave him in perfect silence.


	6. Understanding

From the Past, Chapter Six

So this was the big secret, this was why the older Lupin was so amazed to see Sirius, why everyone was so amazed to see him. Sirius was a murderer. And not just by an accident, which would have been fine, but alongside the greatest evil there was - Voldemort. His best friend, ever since they met at Hogwarts, was going to kill other friends, even Muggles he wouldn't even know.

The young Lupin glanced at Sirius, who was talking animatedly to James, while eating his meal. They were joking, laughing; even Peter had become an important part of their conversation. They were friends, and they would be separated in only a few years. Well, in their time, anyway. I can't let this happen, the young Lupin thought, but how can I prevent something so serious?

"Are you alright?"

Remus was instantly taken out of his trance. It was James who had spoken to him. James, who was going to die. No! He couldn't think like that. He was going to prevent this, prevent everything.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that…" his voice trailed off. After a moment of silence their conversation started back up again, and Remus pretended to listen while thinking. Sirius must have been forced to do it. You-Know-Who probably came right up to the house and - the house! Of course, it must be why he had the house! But how would that work…Sirius was missing, and Lupin had the house. Was he in on it? Did he have something to do with it?

No, Remus told himself. I would never do that to any of my friends, no matter what happened. I'd die instead.

Eventually, the boys started asking him questions, about how he was and such. He answered as politely as he could, but eventually got tired of their banter. It was too much for him at a time like this, he was trying to say one thing and think another. After a few minutes he asked if they could leave, telling them that he was tired. He really wasn't - the shock of the articles had left him wide awake! But he still needed time to think about things, and figure them out. Perhaps even think of a way to stop them from ever happening. His friends left, Sirius closing the door softly behind him before he walked down the stairs. Lupin was left to his to his thoughts.

The three Marauders reached the bottom of the staircase, only to find Harry, whose back was turned as he leaned against the railing.

"Come to talk to your old man?" James asked him, an angry tone in his voice. Harry turned around quickly, a slight look of fear on his face. He glances at Sirius, then back to his father.

"Well…um…no, actually," James snorted at this. "Is Lupin up there?"

"He's tired. You would be too," James replied, still seeming mad.

"I mean…not him. Professor Lupin?" Harry's discomfort was entirely noticeable. Hermione's words echoed through his mind, seeming to rock back and forth, inaudible to his ears, but noisy in his mind.

"I don't think so," Sirius was the one to answer. He lifted his forefinger and pointed to the left, "I'm pretty sure he went back to the parlor to clean up or something," Harry nodded nervously and began to move in that direction. James snorted.

"Let's go to the kitchen," he said, beginning to walk in the opposite direction. Peter giggled happily and followed, his short legs moving at top speed.

The parlor was still in an awful condition. The wallpaper was still ripped and glass pieces were still littering the floor. In the middle of the room an elder Remus Lupin was picking pieces of what seemed to be an old lamp. At least, it was at one time. He picked it up, piece by piece, placing it in a plastic bag. Harry knocked at the edge of the doorway softly, gaining the quiet man's attention instantly.

"Yes, Harry?" he asked. Harry stared for a minute, not knowing what to say.

"Nothing - it was nothing, never mind," he turned to leave, but Lupin stood and called out to him.

"Harry, come back. I wanted to speak with you."

This was it, Harry thought. Lupin was going to give him a lecture about how he should be closer to his father, that he could be leaving soon, just as Hermione had already told him. Why had he even come? He didn't have a question to ask! He just…felt like coming. Still, he turned back and walked into the room. Lupin motioned for him to sit on a small stool, as he sat on one opposite of it.

"Just sit there Harry. I'd offer you the couch, but it's not very appealing at the moment."

Harry sat down slowly on the tiny chair, and was amazed at its ability to hold him up. It was no more than a child's stool, and Harry had grown into a man over the summer. Not only physically, but mentally also. He knew that this would be his final visit to Privet Drive, that he would never have to go there again after this. And for some reason, he became almost sentimental about it. It was all Petunia's fault - if she hadn't come to him with some sob story about why she always treated him so badly, how she felt forced to do it through her husband's aversion to any differences in the world from his own life, Harry wouldn't have joined along. But he had, and he forgave that woman. Harry regretted it instantly, and left as quickly as he could on his broomstick, covered by his Invisibility Cloak.

"What did you want to tell me, Professor?"

"You don't have to call me that anymore, Harry," Lupin told him. Harry nodded, apologetically. "And I didn't really want to _tell_ you anything. I would like to ask you something."

Harry looked up. This wasn't a lecture? It would become one, he knew only too well how these conversations always ended up.

"Yes, sir?"

"Remus, Harry."

"Okay."

"I wanted to know why you didn't want to talk to your father today, Harry."

Of course…that was the question in everybody's mind. Surely the entire house knew about it by now. Harry rolled his eyes, keeping his head down so Lupin couldn't see him. Harry searched his mind for answer. Why didn't he want to talk to his father? But the real question, that only he had, was why he only wanted to see Sirius. Harry finally decided that he had come to a conclusion.

"I'm not sure."

Wow, he thought. Great answer, idiot.

"You don't?" Harry shook his head. Remus sighed.

"Are you angry at him, Harry?"

"What would I be angry at him about? It's not his fault," Harry suddenly felt something beginning inside him. It was a feeling that ran through his stomach and up to his eyes. It, like Hermione's words, rocked back and forth gracefully.

"Are you angry at me then, Harry?"

"Why are they here?" Harry avoided the question.

"I'm not sure…Hermione told me that they were supposed to have a compass of some sort…they can't find it," Lupin tried his question again. "Are you angry at me, Harry?"

"No," Harry answered softly. It was a lie. He was angry at Lupin, but had no idea why. He asked another question.

"What's wrong with you? I mean," Harry shook his head. "Not _you_, the old you - I mean the other you, I mean-"

"I know what you mean, Harry," Remus gave a small laugh. "He seems to be in limbo. You see, last night was the full moon in his era, and it wasn't in ours. He is currently half way through a transformation."

"Half way?"

"Not a werewolf, but not a human either. He'll probably transform again in three days time, on our moon."

"But, you will too, won't you?"

"I think so, Harry."

"God…" Harry shook his head. Two werewolves in the same room, both the same person, and with no potion to keep them calm. Harry wondered why Remus could no longer take his potion - Snape was the only Potions Master Lupin had trusted, and was one of the only Wizards who could make it. The others were either bad Potions Masters, or evil.

"Anyway, Harry. Will you perhaps try to answer my original question?" Harry sighed, almost angrily.

"I don't know, I-" he tried to think of something to say. "I just don't want to. I'm not mad at him, I don't hate him, I just don't want to. It's…it's really weird, I guess."

"Are you embarrassed around him, Harry?" Harry nodded. "Why?"

"Because…" once again, Harry let out a loud sigh. He looked at the bags of trash on the ground, then back at Lupin. "Why aren't you using magic to clean this, Professor?"

Lupin let Harry call him by his courtesy name, then answered. "There are some things that I want to take better care of than magic can. You see this photo, Harry?" Lupin picked up the photo of the Marauders from behind his stool. It was taped together and had only some of it's colour restored, but it was still apparent that it was of the Marauders.

"Magic doesn't know sentiment, Harry. It simply knows spells and books. It is not a human thing, nor should it be treated as such. It is simply a tool that some have learned to use in their life, for both good and bad."

"Remus…I don't like being around my dad. It's because…because of Sirius," Lupin looked up from his photo to Harry.

"Why, Harry?"

"It's not that I didn't miss him-" Harry began to say about his father. The feeling from his stomach had finally settled in his eyes, and he felt them begin to water. "Every day, I've wanted for him to just be here, to be my dad, to know him, and I thought that that was what I wanted more than anything. It's what the Mirror of Erised told me. I thought it would still be the same," Harry's hand found it's way to the back of his neck, and he rubbed it back and forth, trying to calm himself.

"And then, when he came into the kitchen, I was expecting to just see him. But…Sirius was there."

Sirius was there.

"As much as I wanted to see my dad, I just didn't. I wanted to talk to Sirius, instead. I wanted to see him more. My dad - I just didn't care! I don't understand why!" Finally, Harry's head fell into his hands. He muttered words quietly into his palms, each full of anger and sadness. Lupin stood up from his small chair and kneeled beside Harry. He pulled his hands from his face and looked at him.

"Harry…you never knew your father. Not really. You've seen him in memories, perhaps, but you never really knew him," Harry looked straight at Lupin. There were no tears on Harry's face, just red cheeks and eyes. "You knew Sirius, Harry. That's why he matters more to you."

Harry wiped his face, half expecting to feel tears there. He looked at his fingers, surprised at how dry they were. He glanced back to Lupin.

"Sir…how are we going to handle the full moon?"

"I don't know, Harry," Lupin answered truthfully, standing up rather quickly. Harry opened his mouth to speak. "I realize that I could have the boy's help, like they did before. But…let's just say that two werewolves are much harder to handle than only one," Harry smiled at this statement, reminded of an old expression.

"I understand."

"We'll think of something, Harry. The last thing I want to do is have anybody in this house hurt because of me. Both myself and the other…me," Lupin shook his head violently for a moment.

"How do you handle it, Sir?" Harry asked, not even thinking to call him by his first name.

"Handle what?"

"Well, they're your friends, too…isn't it hard?" Remus let out a sound that seemed like half a laugh, and half a sigh.

"Of course it's hard, Harry. But it's something that I have to come to terms with," he answered. "Sirius was my best friend also, Harry, and I wish that he had never gotten mixed up with everything. But for now, I just have to enjoy the way he is here, and now."

"You should too," he finished. Harry stood up and began to leave, nodding. He looked back.

"When are you planning to send them home, Professor?"

"As soon as we can, Harry. That's why I want you to talk to your dad," Harry's hand made it's way to his forehead. "You don't have to, of course, but I don't want you to be disappointed when he's gone."

"Sir…did this happen to you when you were their age?"

"No, Harry. At least, not the 'Me' you are currently speaking with."

"Then what could have happened in their time to make them come? What could be different?" Lupin shook his head.

"I've contacted some friends from the Order…none of them know."

"But why, Professor?"

"I don't think that it's something we can understand, Harry. At least, not yet," Harry rolled his eyes. "We are trying, Harry."

"I know," he said, apologetically as he left. Lupin sat back down on the ground and went back to working.

It had been about an hour. Peter Pettigrew was creeping up the stairs. The kitchen had been entirely out of peach treats, and Peter knew that Lupin's food plate still had a few on it. He tip-toed into the bedroom, looking around. Remus seemed to be sleeping. Slowly but surely he moved towards his plate, and quickly grabbed two treats from it with his hand. Then a voice was heard.

"Peter - is that you?"

It was Lupin. Peter instantly threw his hand behind his back.

"Yeah, it's me."

Lupin had been thinking for the past hour, about how to prevent things. He had to tell somebody, he had to get help. Sirius had killed Peter. He wanted to tell James, as he was the first victim, but James would be too quick to tell Sirius about things. Then he thought of telling his older self, but wouldn't he already know? He'd probably lie, anyway. He could tell one of the other adults, but he hardly knew them. Then Peter came in. Lupin had no idea why he was alone, or what he had just done, but he realized that Peter would be the best person to tell this to. He was quiet enough to keep it a secret, but smart enough to understand what was going on. Besides, he deserved to know - he was a victim of the murder also!

Lupin began to sit up while Peter watched him carefully, still hiding the candies behind his back. Lupin stared at him for a minute, then spoke once again. Peter braced himself, worried that he knew.

"Peter…sit down," he said. "There's something I have to tell you."

Peter sat in the chair Lupin had offered, carefully placing the sweets into his pocket. He listened to Lupin, all the while giving an inner cheer for his sneaky success.


	7. A Conversation

Author's Note: I am so short of time lately, so this chapter is going to be painfully short. I still hope you enjoy it though!

From the Past, Chapter Seven

So this was it, Peter thought as he listened so closely to Remus' story. This was why the older Lupin was so amazed to see him, and wasn't talking to him much. Sirius murdered me…and James for that matter. Peter listened to the story, and watched as Remus showed him the newspaper clipping, which provided proof to the tale. All of it was true.

"And that's all I know," Remus finished sadly, trying to see Peter's reaction. Peter stayed silent for a moment. Then he lifted his head and looked straight at Remus.

"Well, you know what we have to do then, don't you?" he asked.

"What do you think we should do?" Remus replied simply. The answer came so quickly to Peter, it was entirely without question. He stood up, making a point of not letting Remus see the candies he had stolen earlier.

"We'll have to kill him first."

_"What?" _

"Before he gets us I mean," Peter elaborated. They would have to kill Sirius before he could kill them, it was that simple. Then everything would be fine, and the world would have one less murderer to worry about. Peter sat back down quickly, trying to continue his plan in his mind before saying it out loud. Remus was listening so intently to him - this was new. None of the Marauders had ever paid much attention to Peter, and now Remus looked at him as though he was the most important thing in the world. It felt nice.

"Do you actually think he did it? Maybe he was framed…" Remus tried to reason. He assumed that was also what Peter would think, but Peter's view only made Remus surer of his first impression.

"He's probably been planning this for years!" Peter said quietly, yet as dramatically as he could. "That's why he made friends with us - we'll all probably be working for some important group when we're older, and he probably already knows about it!"

"He was he person who gave us the time traveling device…" Remus whispered to himself. "You don't think-?"

"-He wants to do it soon. God…he's probably been planning this forever, probably with Voldemort! They all obviously know!"

"Wouldn't they stop him though, Peter? I would, I know that _I_ would!"

"Why would they? How would they even know?"

"Well…it's already happened before," Remus replied.

"No! You said it yourself - James and Lily were killed at home, after their son was born. James and Lily aren't married yet, and I'm pretty sure that they don't have any children."

"Then…what's going on?"

"Well, Sirius was sent to Azkaban, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what - oh!" Remus cried, surprisingly loudly.

"Exactly. He doesn't want to be sent to Azkaban this time, so he's changed everything. It must be a new plan…and it probably has something to do with Voldemort, too!"

"That's another problem. Who's Voldemort?"

"I don't know," Peter replied. "But he doesn't sound very good."

"Do you think that…even with the new plan…it would still have to do with Voldemort?" Remus asked.

"Yes, I do. How far do your newspaper clipping go?"

"Just until Sirius escapes the Dementors from Hogwarts."

"Of course!" Peter shrieked loudly, not caring whether anybody else would hear their conversation. He felt so important. There was silence, while both waited for each other to say something. They simply started at each other.

"Of course what, Peter?"

"That's why he escaped…he must have helped that Voldemort guy!"

"But…these say that Voldemort is supposed to be dead!"

"Then what about this Harry Potter figure? He seems to think that Voldemort is still around."

"Oh, no."

"What is it?"

"What if he wants to kill Harry Potter also?" Remus asked, shifting uncomfortably as a piece of his skin bubbled.

"Of course he does. You weren't there, but Sirius did look at him really strangely when we all met."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That Dumbledore guy seems to think he's around, also. It says he's the Headmaster of Hogwarts. I wonder what he did to get that job."

"Do you think he's in on it?" Remus questioned.

"You mean…helping Sirius?"

"Yeah."

"Probably not. Otherwise he would have killed Harry Potter by now."

There was more silence. Peter stood up once again and paced around the room. He had seen this done in Muggle plays and films, when the detective character would just keep walking around, trying to figure out a way so solve whatever problems there may be and save somebody. Peter felt almost like a movie star, and was enjoying it far too much.

"It's just…" Remus began.

"What?"

"Why wouldn't Professor Riddle figure it out?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you'd think that he would be able to time travel also, wouldn't you?"

"I don't think he knows, Remus. He would have helped."

"But he always knows what's going on! He knows everything, even before it happens. Don't you think he'd see this coming?"

"I'm not sure. I do know one thing though."

"And what's that?"

There was a knock on the door, and the older Lupin peeked his head inside. Thankfully, all of the clippings had been put away. He walked further into the room.

"Finish up…I think everybody should get some sleep."

"I'll be right out," Peter told him. Lupin nodded and left.

"What were you saying, Peter?"

"Professor Riddle is going to be less one student when we all get back to Hogwarts," he replied as he left. When he was out the door he made sure that it was closed tightly, and then slowly pulled one of the candies from his pocket, placing it into his mouth. He thought to himself:

_Yeah, Professor Tom Riddle will sure be less one student when we get back there._


End file.
